


I Want More in Life

by Monsters_and_Matsu



Series: HLVRAI but Emotionally Damaged [5]
Category: Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Conversations, Friendship, M/M, Post-Canon, Smoking, Workplace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26591608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monsters_and_Matsu/pseuds/Monsters_and_Matsu
Summary: Dr. Coomer and Bubby have one thing in common. They want to leave this world for something better.
Relationships: Bubby & Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Series: HLVRAI but Emotionally Damaged [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869784
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	I Want More in Life

It was a cold evening outside, summer had just ended and the weather was changing. The air was crisp yet the leaves still held most of their green colors. The end of the season was only starting. The brink of the natural world beginning the end.

Dr. Bubby had gone out a side exit during his break, not far away he was leaning on a railing that overlooked a canal. A small made-man river that ran through the quiet industrial center of their newly relocated job’s city. The sidewalk was still hot from a day’s worth of sun beating down, but the air had quickly become cold. For the tube grown scientist, the rustle of wind through the trees nearby was completely foreign to him.

His thin figure hunched over the guardrail, a lit cigarette held between the base of two fingers and an empty stare looking out over the water and across at the dark factories on the other side. He was starting to get a chill on his exposed skin, but that didn’t bother him. For a long time the only movement there was the occasional fallen leaf, rushing water and wavering smoke.

The building’s outside lights flickered on as the setting sun’s light started to become dimmer and dimmer. A loud creak could be heard as someone opened the side entrance and stepped outside too.

“Hello Bubby. Mind if I join you?”

He looked over his shoulder, It was Harold P. Coomer. Bubby returned to looking outward, “I don’t care.”

Dr. Coomer rested his hands casually behind his back as he walked up and stood next to his co-worker. “It isn’t like you to stay at work this late.”

“I took the late shift today.” Bubby replied begrudgingly, “I never want to stay here longer than I have to.” He took a long drag of his smoke and let out the puff before tossing the butt into the water below. Dr. Coomer watched it fall. They stood in silence for some time.

“Do you ever get bored here?” Coomer asked.

“Pushing papers and answering stupid baby shit phone calls? Every single day.”

Coomer was looking out across the canal as well, “No I meant. Do you ever get bored of being here? All of this?”

Bubby didn’t reply right away, he leaned his head back and caught a glimpse of the first couple of night time stars appearing over head. “Yes.”

Dr. Coomer turned his head to look at Bubby, as if a little bit of hope was sparked by that reply. “Really?”

“Yes. I want to leave the earth. Blast off in a spaceship that didn’t fall apart after a satellite was put into orbit this time. Even if I found another planet, I rather live up there in space.” It wasn’t clear where Bubby’s eyes were looking, the reflection of the street lamp made a glare on his glasses but he was still facing the railing. Yearning for a place away from here, all the time.

“Right.” Dr. Coomer’s shoulders drooped as he let out a silent breath, their ideas were on the same track but still vastly different. He looked away again. “I want to leave here too. But I’m afraid that I will never be able to leave in a way that matters.”

They stood in silence, then Bubby turned his face towards his co-worker as if asking him to continue.

Coomer still stood with a tall straightened back and relaxed eyebrows, but his gaze was empty. “I want to leave this limited realm. There’s nothing left for me here. There’s nothing left for any of us. I want to go where things change. To a world that sounds more real than this one.”

Bubby made a weird unsure noise.

Coomer lowered his head, “I suppose I’m saying this because... I can’t be happy here now that I know there is more than this life out there. It’s easy to be happy when you live in blissful ignorance.”

Bubby stood up from leaning on the rail, “...Well, fuck that.”

Coomer raised his brows and looked at him, “Hm?”

“We’re some of the smartest people on the goddamn planet. We should be able to figure out whatever the fuck we want.” Bubby grinned toothily, “We should show these motherfuckers who’s boss! One day let’s ditch this stupid world and find a better one!”

Dr. Coomer couldn’t help a smile under his mustache, “What an excellent idea...”

There were things he didn’t mind in this world... Maybe he could learn how to be happy again if he found the right things to do and the right people to spend time with... Or perhaps he would always be chasing the high of the Black Mesa underground boxing ring or the danger of barely escaping the resonance cascade. 

Then again, what did it matter if this world was stuck in computer code and binary? Did anything he do really make a difference if he only enjoyed it briefly? He couldn’t shake the feeling... that this existence was pointless.

“Hello? Are you listening to me??” Bubby leaned over angrily.

Dr. Coomer was snapped out of his thousand yard stare seeing his coworker’s face, “Hello Bubby!”

Bubby leaned a hand on the guardrail. “So, are you going to help me find a way off this infernal rock?”

Coomer put his hand on the rail as well, “Perhaps. But we’ll have to finish our work day first.” He gave a small smile glancing at his friend, “I’m willing to try.”

They stood in the breezy night air for the rest of their break. Then it was back to work. More office filing and droning phone calls. The evening ticked away.

As much as they disliked this world, they still found someone in it to relate to. Friends to make the unpleasant bits of reality a little more bearable. Someone to give you hope that things might change for the better if you work towards it.

Even in a place they didn't want to be any longer, at least they had a friend.


End file.
